


A Shot at Love

by Ninke_A, quiiiznak



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alcohol, Bartender AU, Bartender Lance (Voltron), M/M, kolivance au event, they/them pronouns for Pidge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 06:53:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15724218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninke_A/pseuds/Ninke_A, https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiiiznak/pseuds/quiiiznak
Summary: It seems like the old adage is true - you do seem to find love in the most unexpected places...





	A Shot at Love

**Author's Note:**

> Kick back with a nice, cold drink (if you're old enough) and enjoy our story for the choose your own AU day of the Kolivance AU Event
> 
> Come talk to us on tumblr! [quiiiznak](https://quiiiznak.tumblr.com) [collector-of-hats](https://collector-of-hats.tumblr.com)
> 
> [ Kolivance AU Event ](https://kolivance.tumblr.com/post/175090778934/dancing-across-universes-event-2018)

“I can’t believe you…” Kolivan sighed into his beer; he swished the contents of the bottle around and took a swig. “You’re a grown ass man, Antok. Pretty sure you should be able to meet your blind date on your own.”

 

They were seated in a booth across from the bar, Kolivan could see Antok bouncing his leg as he fidgeted with his own drink. 

 

Antok smiled as he looked over his shoulder towards the door again; “Who said this was just me waiting for my blind date?” Antok waved his hand dismissively, “Keith just wanted to be on the safe side in case things got awkward, or something. So, he said about bringing a friend with him, and I offered to do the same.” He picked his drink up and downed the rest of it. “So, technically - this is more of a blind date for you.”

 

“Wha--?!”

 

Cutting his friend off, he placed his glass back onto the table and grinned. Catching sight of the door opening, Antok jumped up. “Keith’s here! How do I look?”

 

“Whatever -- you look fine, I guess.” Kolivan muttered into the neck of his beer bottle; “you’re looking a little like a weasel if you ask me…”

 

“What was that?” Antok’s gaze - and attention - was focused on Keith as he weaved through the small group of people gathered around the bar.  “Keith! Hey!”

 

Keith shoved through the last of the people and stuck his hands in the pockets of his black jacket. His eyes were fixed on Antok in obvious appreciation, before he glanced at Kolivan. “Hey, sorry I’m late. You know how it goes with traffic.”

 

“Yeah, it gets pretty congested around here at this time. Sorry about that,” Antok rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “I probably should’ve suggested a different time or something…”

 

Kolivan scoffed as he watched his friend flounder. He pushed himself away from the table and grabbed his empty bottle. “Nice to meet you, Keith. Now, if you’ll excuse me -- I’m gonna go grab another one of these.” He shook the empty bottle as he pushed past Antok. “Enjoy yourselves.” 

 

The bar was packed with people, three deep in some places, and it was obviously going to be a wait. Well, it would be a wait for anyone that didn’t have an in with the bartenders. They were a lot like any other professional, they got together, traded stories and treated each other properly, since every one of them had a tale about when they hadn’t been. So Lance, standing near the corner of the long bar, simply waited patiently, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans, as he bounced lighty to the beat. When his eyes met the man who was making drinks, he flashed a smile, and waved him off. While he loved trying other people’s versions of palomas, he was also technically the driver for Keith, so he had to behave. 

 

He ended up with a bottle of water, because you could never be too careful and spun on his heel to find a seat, almost crashing into the man standing behind him. 

 

“Whoa… I’m sorry…” 

 

Kolivan reached out to steady him. “It’s fine.” He stepped around the man and leaned against an empty space at the bar. He placed his bottle on the counter and signaled to the bartender for another. Turning himself back around to face away from the bar, Kolivan leaned back on his elbows. His eyebrows rose as he found the man that bumped into him still standing there. Not one for small talk, he gave him a small smile. “Uh… can I help you with something?”

 

Lance liked to think of himself as a practical person. By which he means that it is perfectly practical to stare at attractive people, especially in a club. Being called out on it, was slightly new. “Nope. Just looking around.” Well, damn, but he wasn’t a creeper no matter what Pidge said, they could just shut their mouth. “Thanks again for the save, earlier. Try and have fun. Oh! Friendly tip, that specific beer? Way cheaper as a draft instead of a bottle!” He saluted with his own water and turned away. 

 

“Oh, uh…” Kolivan watched as he walked away. “Thanks…” he muttered to no one on particular. He turned back towards the bar as the bartender made his way over with a new bottle for him. He shook his head, “a draft this time, thanks.” 

 

Beer in hand, Kolivan navigated the small crowd once again to make his way back to their table. He stopped at the edge of the crowd and groaned.  _ No way  _ he was going back to their table now; especially not with how Antok was fawning all over an equally embarrassed looking Keith. A quick glance showed only the two of them at the table anyway, so with a slightly disappointed shake of his head, he turned away to find himself another table.  

 

Kolivan took a sip of his beer as he made his way to another table; the only empty one was tucked away in a corner. Pulling the chair away from the table, Kolivan placed his beer in front of him and grabbed for his phone. He might come off as an asshole at times, but he  _ had _ made a promise to Antok to be there for him if things went sour, so he settled himself in for a long night of playing solitaire on his phone. 

 

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been playing for - his beer was almost empty again - when he heard a nervous sounding cough in front of him. He looked up from his phone to see the same guy from earlier. 

 

Lance had been spending most of his time coasting the edge of the dance floor, and occasionally peeking in on Keith. Not that the Mullet had any idea. He was far too busy playing coy for his new friend. Which Lance actually approved of. But that left him spinning his wheels at a club he couldn’t properly enjoy, while he was technically responsible for Keith. 

 

Eventually Lance found himself in a quieter corner. The music was still loud and the lights were still flashing but it seemed slightly muted here away from the speakers. Of course, Lance didn’t notice that the table was already claimed until he was practically already sitting down. With a shrug, he cleared his throat and started off. 

 

“Sorry to bother you, I was just hoping I could steal a seat at your table. I’m waiting on someone to be ready to leave and clubs are not really much fun when you can’t relax and enjoy them. Honestly, I thought the table was empty until I was all the way over here.” Lance fidgeted for a minute, then promptly started backpedalling. 

 

“Actually… you know what? Forget it. You probably think I’m some kind of strange stalker or something, so I will just… go all the way over there and… stop… talking now.” 

 

Kolivan chuckled as he motioned to the empty chair. “No, no. You can stay. I’m afraid I’m not much company though.” He held up his phone to show the solitaire app still open on the screen. “I’m waiting for my friend too. He’s on a date with some guy he met…” 

 

Lance grinned and settled in the empty chair. “I know how that goes. This buddy of mine, recently decided to try one of those dating apps, but he refused to use his own phone for it, and so he goes and steals mine. Do you have any idea how many messages I got that were naked selfies? Some things cannot be unseen.” Lance mock shuddered, and leaned a bit on the table. “But, really, it’s good that you came with him. You never know the kinds of people that you meet out in clubs or bars.”

 

Kolivan hummed his assent as he finished off the last of his beer. He pointed the glass towards the man across from him. “Thanks for the tip, you were right; this  _ was _ much cheaper.” He placed the empty glass back down in front of him. “Name’s Kolivan, by the way.”

 

Lance grinned. “Lance, nice to meet you, Big Guy.” He took a drink from his own bottle, before firmly screwing the cap back on. “Draft is always cheaper, especially in clubs, because it’s cheaper for the bar to serve, so the prices are lower compared to bottles.” He twisted the bottle in his hands a bit, before relaxing. “So, I’m going to hazard a guess and say you aren’t really one for clubs?”

 

Kolivan quirked an eyebrow. “Big guy?” He chuckled and gestured to his phone on the table in front of him, “what gave me away?”

 

Lance laughed, eyes bright, and cheerful. “Oh it wasn’t the phone. Half the people here have them glued to their hands. It was actually earlier. I was sure you were going to take my head off when you caught me staring. Sorry for that again.” He tilted his head, and made a gesture at Kolivan. “Well, yeah, I mean you are easily twice my size. So Big Guy.” He shrugged. 

 

Kolivan smirked as he cocked his head to the side and gave Lance a once over. He nodded, “yeah, I guess I’ll let you have ‘big guy.’” He gestured to the bottle of water in between them. “Not a big drinker?”

 

“Honestly? I love Palomas. They are probably the best drink I’ve had, but like I said, I’m a friend’s ride so no drinking for me.” He shrugged, and poked at the bottle. “But, then again, palomas are what I drink with friends. They aren’t exactly classy like a campari is… Are you strictly a beer guy or what?” Lance wasn’t much for beers, anyone could pour a beer, mixed drinks however, told you a person’s talents. 

 

“Campari?” He chuckled as he fidgeted with his phone. “I guess you could say that? Beer, whiskey… I’m not much of a mixed drink guy.”

 

“Nothing wrong with whiskey.” Lance agreed, “a campari is a mixed drink with herbs and fruit in a water alcohol mix. It’s kind of bitter, but is also amazing with bar food. Makes it almost taste like real food.” He shifted a bit on his stool, before glancing around the club again. Keith hadn’t given their signal yet, so he was fine. 

 

He nodded, “sounds like it could be something I might enjoy; I’ll have to try it some other time. I’ve already had two beers and I’d promised my friend I’d wait for him so…” Kolivan fiddled with his phone on the table again. Not looking up from where his fingers tapped against the back of his phone; “would you like to grab a drink sometime? I - I mean, no pressure…”   

 

Lance’s head snapped back over to stare at Kolivan. He honestly hadn’t been expecting that, especially with how angry Kolivan had looked when Lance had admittedly checked him out earlier. Still, he opened his mouth to agree, when a loud shrill whistle echoed over the sound of music and people. Lance visibly deflated at the sound. “I would love to, but that’s my friend calling me now, so I better go…” He stood and took a couple of steps away from the table before turning back. “Hope to see you soon, Big Guy.” He winked then rolled his eyes at the second whistle before moving into the crowd. 

 

“Sounds good… See you around Lance.” Kolivan sighed as he watched Lance weave his way through the crowd. It had gotten considerably more crowded as the night had progressed so he lost sight of him fairly quickly.  _ Ah, shit _ , he thought to himself,  _ he hadn’t even gotten Lance’s phone number…  _

 

He wasn’t allowed to wallow in his self-pity for too long though as his phone vibrated in his hand. A quick look at the screen showed a text from Antok. He sighed once more as he stood and pushed himself away from the table and made his way over to find his friend.  

 

After having weaved his way through the sizeable crowd, Kolivan found Antok waiting at the end of the bar slouched over with his face in his phone. Kolivan walked over and slapped a hand on his shoulder, making Antok jump. “So, how’d it go?”

 

Antok looked up at his friend with a dopey smile on his face. “Oh boy! It was great! Keith had to go because his friend had to get to work, but he said that we could meet him and his friend later on tonight? In like, a hour? Whaddya say? Please, Kolivan? I’m begging ya! Keith and I hit it off pretty well - I don’t want to screw this up.”

 

Kolivan sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time that night as he ran his hand down his face. “Do I really have to go with you? And speaking of Keith -- wasn’t his friend supposed to come with him as my ‘blind date’? Whatever happened with that? Hmm?”

 

“About that!” Antok perked up, “He ran to the bar to grab a drink before he made his way over, and by the time he came back, you were already gone to who knows where.” Antok shrugged. “Maybe you ran into him?”

 

“How would I know if I ran into him if I’ve ever met him?”

 

“Oh… yeah, right.” Antok deflated a little. “So! Can we go? Keith said his friend will be there.”

 

“Why would I wanna go meet his friend if he already blew me off once?”

 

Antok pushed himself off of the bar and grabbed Kolivan by the shoulder as he maneuvered the both of them towards the door. “Third time’s the charm, dude!”

 

“This would only be the second time…” Kolivan gave him a sideways look. “Just how much have you had to drink already?”

 

“Not enough, man. Not enough.” 

 

Once outside the club, Kolivan rolled his eyes as he dug his keys out of his pocket. “So how far away is this place?” 

 

“Dude!? Really?”

 

“Yeah, really. Now c’mon before I change my mind.” Kolivan unlocked his car as they got closer to it and slid into the driver’s side as he watched Antok fumble with his own door. 

 

He chuckled as Antok finally made it into the car and got his seatbelt across himself. “Alright, so where’s this place at?” 

 

“Here!” Antok handed his phone over to Kolivan as he settled into his seat. “Keith said it was called  _ Kloset _ \-- so I pulled it up on Google Maps.”

 

Kolivan slid the phone into the cradle he had placed on the dashboard, and put the car in reverse. “I hope you realize that I’m not going to be staying the entire night, right?” 

 

Antok nodded enthusiastically, “yes, yes. Thank you so much - I owe you big time!”

 

“Uh huh, sure you do…”

 

* * *

 

__

“So where did you end up?” Keith asked, all smug and pleased as they got into Lance’s car. 

 

“I wandered around for a while, ended up at a out of the way table.” Lance glanced over his shoulder before he pulled out of the parking spot. “But we both know you don’t actually care, so tell me all about your Tinder match, loverboy.” 

 

“That’s still a stupid name for a dating app.” Keith muttered, crossing his arms with a huff, before a smile crept back onto his face. “He’s gorgeous, Lance, but he’s also, really nice? I mean who’s that nice?”

 

“Hunk? I’m pretty sure he is the nicest person alive.” 

 

“That’s fair, but I don’t want to drag Hunk into a dark alley and stick my hand down his pants either.”

 

Lance coughed and gripped the wheel a little tighter. “Jesus, Keith!” Lance took a minute to shake his head and hopefully banish those mental images away forever. “Look, I’m honestly glad it all went well. Are you going to see him again, though? Good first date aside, I don’t know if that exactly gives you a green light for your dark alley plans.”

 

“Of course I’m going to see him again. I invited him and his friend to your bar.” 

 

This time Lance jerked a bit too hard on the wheel, taking the turn a little sharper than he would have liked. “The hell, Keith?” Lance glared a bit at the road before he glanced at his friend briefly. “I mean, it’s probably a good idea to see him in a place you know better, and Lord knows you spend a lot of time at the bar, but why tonight? Isn’t that a bit too soon?”

 

“The only reason I left when I did was because you had to work and you would have poisoned my drinks if I made you late.” Keith shrugged, the motion barely visible out of the corner of Lance’s eye. “So consider it more of a first date part two. You can work and I will still have someone watching my back. Besides, you never did meet his friend and I feel a tiny bit bad about promising you company and letting you just wander around.”

 

Lance thought about a pair of nice eyes and some damn impressive shoulders, but shrugged. He hadn’t realized until they were already in the car, that he’d forgotten to give Kolivan his number, so it was likely he’d never see the guy again. “Well, we’ll see, I’ll be working more than just hanging out this time anyway. But if you really do need something, Pidge will probably be around.”

 

“The last person I would ever want looking out for me on a date is Pidge, Lance. That’s asking to be dumped immediately.”

 

Lance couldn’t help but laugh as he pulled into his parking spot behind  _ Kloset _ . “Yeah… that’s true…”

 

* * *

 

By the time Kolivan pulled into the parking lot, Antok was almost vibrating in his seat with excitement. He pulled into the closest parking spot, and laughed as Antok struggled with his seatbelt. “Calm down, damn.” He smiled at his friend as he handed him his phone back. “You really like this guy that much already?”

 

“I really do. It’s just -- ugh. He’s so - so amazing! We just  _ clicked _ , y’know?”

 

Kolivan smiled at his friends enthusiasm. “Yeah, I know.” His smile fell a little as he thought about Lance from the club. He shook his head to dispel the thoughts. “Now, c’mon --” He pulled the keys from the ignition and slid out of his seat. “Let’s go get you your man.”

 

“Hell yeah!”

 

Locking the car, Kolivan slid the keys into his back pocket and followed after Antok. Thankfully, the place wasn’t too packed yet, but Kolivan thought to himself,  _ it was still early enough in the night _ . 

 

From the outside, the bar didn’t really look all that impressive. It was, if Kolivan was honest with himself, rundown. He wanted to be mad that Antok drug him to some seedy looking bar, but he couldn’t stay angry at him with how excited Antok was with getting to see Keith again. 

 

He picked up his pace as Antok was already waiting with the door flung open. 

 

To say that he was impressed would be an understatement. The outside of the bar was completely deceiving as to how the inside looked. It had an almost ‘old library’ feel to it. There was a classy feel to the place that really pulled him in; it was a complete opposite of the club that they had just left. The music was turned down low - loud enough to still hear it but not too loud enough that you wouldn’t be able to hold a conversation with someone. 

 

The lighting was soft - there weren’t any harsh fluorescent light fixtures, instead the walls were lined with Tiffany style lamps that gave off a soft, welcoming light. 

 

The bar itself was by far, the most impressive one that Kolivan had ever seen. He gave a low whistle as he made his way over to it with Antok.

 

“Impressive, right?”

 

Kolivan nodded; he opened his mouth to compliment Antok on his choice of bars, but was interrupted as Keith walked up behind Antok. 

 

“You guys, sure took your time. I was starting to think you weren’t coming.” Keith settled one hand on his hip, eyes darting from Antok to Kolivan and back. He’d lost the jacket he’d been wearing earlier, and looked far more comfortable here. “Sorry again that I had to leave. But, if he’d been late, I would never have heard the end of it.” Keith rolled his eyes a little. 

 

“K - Keith! Hey! You look great!” 

 

Kolivan laughed as Antok floundered with his words. “I’m pretty sure he’s still wearing the same thing he had on a hour ago…”

 

Antok flushed as he stuttered. “I - I know!” He whipped around to glare at Kolivan. “All I’m saying is that he  _ still _ looks good.” 

 

Keith laughed along with Kolivan. “Thanks, I was told very firmly that the jacket made me look like a dick.” He still smiled though even as Antok sputtered. 

 

“N - no! You looked good in it too! Who said that?” Antok was practically growling with fury.

 

Keith laughed again. “Lance, of course. But that’s just how we are. I mean, I told him that his tie made him look like a high school prep student. See.” He pointed across the space, where Lance was passing a drink to someone with a smile.

 

Unlike Keith, who had just removed his jacket, Lance looked completely different. His jacket and shirt were gone, replaced with a white button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up, and a thin purple tie. His hair was much messier than before, but it only made his smile seem more mischievous. There was a flash of color on one of his forearms, as he turned to make another drink. 

 

Antok looked between Kolivan and where Keith had pointed. He smirked as he took in the expression on his friends face. “Oho, what’s this?” He elbowed Kolivan in the side to try to break him out of his stare.

 

“Wha --?” Kolivan felt his face heat up as he tore his eyes away from Lance. “What was that?”

 

“Why don’t you go grab yourself a drink?” Antok chuckled. “You’re looking a little  _ thirsty  _ there…”

 

“Oh, shut up. Would ya?”

 

“No, no --” Antok held up his hands in mock surrender. “No need to get all hostile on me. I just think it’s a little funny how you were so against this to begin with. But oh my, how your attitude has quickly changed.” 

 

Keith rolled his eyes and moved just a bit closer to Antok. “Lance has that effect on people. But, you have other plans…” He pointed toward a free table. “I’m pretty sure you said something about buying me another drink.” He caught Antok’s hand and smirked at Kolivan. “We’ll be over there.” 

 

Kolivan waved them off. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll… just be over at the bar…”

 

“Sure you will, buddy.”

 

*******

 

Kolivan slowly crossed the short distance to the bar, and slid onto a stool at the opposite end of where Lance was currently talking with another patron. To say that he was freaking out was an understatement; Kolivan had figured that after not giving Lance his phone number at the club, that he’d never see the man again. But, here he was; it seemed that he was in his element here -- not the same nervous man at the club. With another glance down the bar, and not wanting to interrupt their conversation, Kolivan pulled his phone from his pocket and settled in for a short wait until Lance noticed him.

 

While anyone that knew him, would say that Lance was an extremely laid back kind of guy, they would also say that he took his job seriously. He’d been doing it long enough that very little got past him where the bar was concerned. It was extremely helpful now when a familiar face settled at the end of the bar. For a second, Lance stumbled, almost spilling the drink he had in his hands before he covered it with another wide smile and a joke. 

 

He really wasn’t sure how Kolivan had ended up here, but he wasn’t going to miss the same opportunity twice. So he played ignorance, hands moving confidently as he prepared a drink. With a lot more confidence than he actually felt, he swiftly placed a napkin down and set the dark red drink on top of it. “Campari for the gentleman.” 

 

Kolivan put his phone face down on the bar and looked up at Lance with a sheepish smile. “But I haven’t ordered yet?”

 

He shrugged, smile turning shy. “I would be a terrible bartender, if I didn’t follow up with my drink recommendations.” He turned, pouring a beer and passing it off, before returning to the spot near Kolivan. “So… did you just happen on this place or…” 

 

He gestured over his shoulder to Keith and Antok, both huddled together at a table to the side. “Keith invited Antok because they didn’t want to cut their date short,” Kolivan shrugged as he took a sip of his drink. “And since I’m the designated driver…” He gestured to the drink in front of him. “This is really good, by the way.”

 

“Wait, you mean  _ you _ are the friend Antok raved about? The slightly creepy looking guy that he swore wouldn’t bite my head off?” Lance blinked, then shook his head. “Keith has weird taste, obviously Antok there is blind. You aren’t creepy at all.” 

 

Lance froze, then groaned, bringing up his left hand and running it through his hair, letting the blue and purple of his tattoo be fully on display. “That sounded terrible. I’m so sorry. I um…” He trailed off, looking slightly nervous.

 

Kolivan chuckled as he played with the small straw placed in his drink. “I’d say I’d feel bad for Keith.” He gestured to himself with his free hand. “I  _ can  _ see what Antok meant though, I am a little intimidating looking - what with my height, and all…” 

 

Once again, Lance started talking without really thinking about what he was saying. “That’s exactly my point. Antok is at least as tall as you are, and honestly the first thing I said was damn Keith, I hope you’ll have asprin handy for after the date…” Lance froze, then made an odd squeaking sound. “Oh look a drink, I should go and make that... yes…” Before he practically ran to the other side of the bar to help another patron.

 

Kolivan choked on the sip of his drink he had just taken and laughed. He grabbed the napkin in front of him and coughed into it while he waited for Lance to return from making that drink. 

 

Lance ended up making three drinks before he was able to make his way back down to where Kolivan was seated. He stood there a bit awkwardly, before he sighed. “Sorry. I have this bad habit of talking without actually thinking about what I’m saying.” 

 

“It’s fine, really.” He chuckled again. Kolivan gestured to the bar; “So how long have you worked here? You didn’t really strike me as the bartender type at the club.”

 

“Huh, I was sure it was the opposite… I mean what with me talking about drinks so much… But I’ve been working here for almost three years, the place I was at before was that little dive bar near the highway, you’ve probably heard about it. But, now I’m curious… What is the bartender type?”

 

Kolivan floundered, at a loss for words. “I didn’t mean -- What I meant was, you seemed a little shy? At the club, at least. Please don’t think that I’m questioning your knowledge on drinks or anything; I didn’t mean to offend. And it’s not like you don’t  _ look  _ like a bartender, because  _ damn _ , you do - you really do. I just -- ugh.” Kolivan ran his hands down his face. “Yeah… if any of that made any kind of sense…” 

 

Lance’s right eyebrow slowly rose up as Kolivan kept talking. It was actually cute to watch such a stoic man slowly start stumbling over his words. He opened his mouth but a tray clattered on the bar drawing his attention. 

 

“Lance. I need a whiskey sour and another one of those amaretto things Keith drinks for the love birds over there. Also a fire hose, because if they get too much closer it’ll be indecent.” The server, rolled their green eyes, and glared over their shoulder. 

 

“Sure thing Pidge. But do me a favor and swipe Keith’s keys. His car is here and this puts him over.” Lance glanced at Kolivan with a smile before moving to grab the glasses. He made the drinks with sure practiced movements before placing them on the tray. 

 

“Thanks Lance.” They stared at Kolivan for a long minute, unimpressed before rolling their eyes again and heading off with the tray. 

 

“Sorry about that.” Lance offered, settling a bottle of water on the bar, and opening one of his own. “But, to answer your question, there’s a difference between me at work and just me.” He shrugged. “I’m better as a bartender, less awkward.” 

 

Kolivan hummed. “I wouldn’t say that you’re necessarily  _ better  _ as a bartender -- no offense! You’re fantastic -- I’m just saying that… I enjoyed your company at the club as well…”

 

Lance’s smile softened, honestly, who allowed this man to be so sweet. “Thank you. You aren’t so bad yourself. I honestly can’t remember the last time I was so disappointed at not getting a number.” He shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal, even though he was kicking himself twice now. The longer he spent just talking to Kolivan, the more he liked him. 

 

“I’d be more than happy to give it to you now, if you’d like?” Kolivan smiled sheepishly at Lance as he swirled the remaining contents of his drink. He looked around at the other patrons, who all had their drinks in front of them. “I know your shift just started and all… but, when, uh -- do you get a break? Not that I don’t enjoy talking to you behind the bar, but I had a great time with you - just you, not ‘bartender’ Lance - at the club…” 

 

Flustered, Lance curled his fingers into the towel he was wiping the bar with. “Oh… um… I’d love to have your number…” He admitted a bit more honestly than he’d planned. “I have a break around nine… So… in about an hour? Then I’ll have  a shorter one around ten thirty… but, I have no idea how long you are staying…” He glanced at the table Keith and Antok were sitting at, taking note of the soft smiles and how close their head were. “I mean… It looks like they might stay ‘til last call…”

 

Kolivan looked over his shoulder at the couple - who were still huddled close together - he shook his head as he looked back at Lance. “Well, since I’m the designated driver -- looks like I’ll be here until last call as well.”

 

“That’s sweet. I mean, technically, you could go whenever and split them up, but I’m all for you staying until then. First off, I won’t have to make Keith wash glasses while mooning over how amazing Antok is…. And second… it would… be nice to get to know you better.”

 

“I’d really like that, and I mean -- we can always get to know each other outside of your work as well… I don’t want you to feel like we’re limited to just this night. I know we only just met, but… I really want to get to know you better -- all of you, not just ‘bartender’ Lance or ‘nervous at the club’ Lance…” 

“Are you asking me on a date, Big Guy? Because I’m saying yes, if you are.” Honestly, Lance was looking forward to knowing Kolivan better too, not just the grumpy man he’d met earlier or the apparently sweet one he had in front of him now. “So… we do a half priced special thing from eight to nine on Saturdays, so if you need something else, let me know now, before the rush really starts.” He leaned a bit closer and winked. “Then we can… talk on my break?”

 

“I’d like that. Maybe I’ll take another one of those Campari’s?”

 

Lance smiled and soon settled the drink on the bar with a small flourish of his tattooed arm, before he had to turn away to help other patrons. The server appeared several times, calling out names of drinks with a heavy amount of sass, and it wasn’t long before the bar was a slightly chaotic mess of people. 

  
  


The next hour passed by rather quickly, if you asked Kolivan; between taking peeks at Antok and Keith, and playing around with his phone, Kolivan was surprised to find Lance standing next to him on the opposite side of the bar. He looked up as he finished his latest game of solitaire; “Oh! Hey --” he smiled as he stood from his bar stool, “I hope you haven’t been waiting there too long…” 

 

Lance shook his head, playing absently with his tie. “No, I just got done, it took a bit longer, since Pidge got a large group in. But I’m free for half an hour.” He grinned at Pidge who was now settled behind the bar. “Where to?”

 

“Um…” Kolivan looked around the room. “How about over there?” He gestured to a table off to the side. “I know you don’t really have a whole lot of time but, maybe -- if this works, we could always go somewhere else on your day off. If you’d like, that is…” 

 

“That sounds nice… both of those things. I um… got you a water… I mean, you said you were driving, and you can’t be too careful so…” He fumbled a bit with the bottles in his hands, before hesitantly holding one out for Kolivan. 

 

Kolivan grabbed the bottle of water from Lance, gently brushing their fingers together in the process. “Thank you.” He held his hand out towards the still empty table, “shall we?”

 

Lance settled at the table with a sigh, thankful to be sitting. He loved his job, enjoyed it even, but sometimes, he really wished he could sit down while he did it. “ _ Oh _ , that is so much better.” He practically moaned the words, slumping a bit in the chair, before settling his bottle on the table. He peeked over at Kolivan before smiling softly. “Thanks, Big Guy… This was a good idea… Usually I just spend my breaks on a chair in the back, but this is much better.” He paused, then ducked his head a bit as he added. “Better company too...”

 

He smiled at Lance’s words. “Yeah, This is a much better way to spend my night as well.” He took a swig from his bottle of water, and placed it on the table in front of them. “So -- what is it that you want to know about me? I’m not sure what Keith might’ve heard from Antok…”

 

“Actually… I don’t know anything.” Lance mused, resting his arms on the table. “When Keith told me about his date, I suggested having someone else around as a backup. Just because you never know. I’ve worked bars for long enough to be a little wary. I didn’t hear anything about you until I went by their table at the club and Antok told me about his friend, which… I already mentioned and won’t repeat.” He smiled, just a bit. “I didn’t even get a name. So, I suppose… What do you want to tell me?” 

 

“Yeah, I get that - you can never be too careful with things like these. I’m just glad it seems to be working out for the both of them… and, for us as well. And as for me? Well, I work at a law firm, so there’s not really much to that.” He shrugged. “For the most part, I spend the majority of my time at work or at home, so I’m not much of a ‘party animal’ in that aspect. This was actually one of those rare occasions where Antok was actually able to drag me out of the house.” He took another sip of his water and capped the bottle. “So… that’s me”; he chuckled. “Sorry, I’m kind of dull…”

 

“It doesn’t sound dull… It sounds kind of relaxing, if you ask me. But, then I work every weekend, without fail. Some nights are good, busy with decent people, and some nights aren’t - when the sleeze balls come out to play, and that only makes my job worse.” He idly traced a pattern on the table. “I can’t imagine being a lawyer. No offense but I think I’d be bored. But, you have to do something for fun right?” 

 

Kolivan chuckled. “I never said I was a lawyer - I work behind the scenes mainly. Nothing as exciting as being an actual lawyer. And this is my ‘fun’ -- I did tell you that I was boring.” He laughed. “Most nights, it’s just me, alone on my couch browsing through Netflix but being too tired to actually watch anything.” Kolivan reached across the table to lightly grasp Lance’s hand’ “I must say -- this is much better than anything I could find on Netflix.”

 

“So… you live and breathe Netflix and Chill?” Lance started to tease before Kolivan’s hand curled around his own, and his words stuttered. “I, um… Ah, fuck it.” He raised his free hand in an expressive one armed shrug and flipped his hand over to hold Kolivan’s properly. “You are too sweet, I have no defense.”

 

Kolivan rubbed his fingers across the back of Lance’s hand. “Like I said, this is much better than ‘Netflix and chill.’”

 

Lance couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face. “I don’t know… ‘Netflix and chill’ has it’s uses… For instance, nights when it’s too cold for a nice romantic walk? That is an excellent time to curl up under a nice blanket with a movie on and see where the night takes you.” He glanced at Kolivan with a shy smile, letting the fingers of his free hand drift absently over the splatter of purple and blue on his forearm.

 

“Well -- when you put it that way… I wouldn’t be to opposed to that.” Kolivan smiled as he continued to gently run his fingers across the back of Lance’s knuckles. His gaze flickered to where Lance was running his fingers absently across the tattoo on his arm; he nodded his head towards it. “That’s very beautiful.”

 

“T-thank you… Actually… all four of us got one.” Lance turned his arm a bit so Kolivan could see the splatter of watercolor better. “We all got them in different places, but it was something we all did when we graduated.” Lance grinned and leaned slightly across the table. “Keith’s is on his side, in case you want to tease your friend later.”

 

He chuckled, and threw Lance a wink; “I’ll definitely make sure to tease Antok about that later. Enough talk about Antok though.” Kolivan leaned in closer. “I wanted to get to know  _ you _ better…” He swiveled in his chair to shoot a quick glance at the clock above the bar. “I don’t know how much longer you’ve got for your break…”  

 

Lance followed the motion and shrugged. “Maybe ten more minutes? Pidge is grouchy, but they would rather work behind the bar than serve the tables.” He leaned back in his chair, and picked up the bottle of water. “So… what did you want to know?”

“Well… What do you like to do when you’re not working? And hmmm… you said something about graduating? What did you go to school for -- if you don’t mind me asking?”

 

Lance chuckled. “I went for general education. I’ve always been kind of a go-with-the-flow person. Then about halfway through, I signed up to take the courses to learn bartending. When I’m not at work, I’ll help my friend Hunk prep at the restaurant he works at, or I spend a lot of time in the park. Sometimes, I’ll drag Keith to the pool and we’ll race.

 

Kolivan perked up at that. “The park? Would you, uh -- would you want to, maybe, go to the park with me? I - I mean -- we could go for a small picnic or… something…” Kolivan looked around the bar as he trailed off. “We could, uh… spend some time outside of a bar or club?” He chuckled nervously. 

 

Lance’s smile a soft. “That sounds nice. I’m off tomorrow and Monday, so…” He fished a pen out of his pocket, and twisted their joined hands just a bit, and wrote his number on Kolivan’s arm. “So, now that you can call me, we can go.” 

 

Kolivan smiled as he watched Lance write his number down. He chuckled as he reached for his phone to put his number in before he smudged any of the writing. Kolivan fiddled with his phone a minute before putting it back in his pocket; he smiled shyly as he waited to hear a chime from Lance’s phone. His smile fell slightly as he didn’t hear anything. “Do, uh - you have your phone on you?”

Lance blinked, then turned toward the table where Keith was sitting. “No… remember earlier when I mentioned my friend and the dating app? That was Keith. He has my phone.” 

 

“Lance!”

 

“And that would be Pidge. Sorry, I have to get back.” He squeezed Kolivan’s hand briefly, before untangling their fingers. “But, if you can get my phone back, I’ll answer whatever that message said.” Lance gave an extra smile before heading back toward the bar. 

 

Kolivan watched Lance until he’d slipped back behind the bar and a shadow fell over the table. 

 

“I thought Lance was over here?” Keith muttered, as he leaned against Antok with a phone in his hand. “His phone got a text, did he go back to work already?”

 

Kolivan looked away from where Lance had disappeared behind the bar. “Oh! Uh, yeah.” He pointed over in the general direction. “His break just ended.” He grinned up at the both of them. “Having a good time, you two?”

 

Keith grinned. “Well, I was. But someone told me that his ride had sworn not to stay all night, and I have one of my own picking me up since I work tomorrow, so we had to cut it short.” Keith dropped into Lance’s empty chair, and wiggled the phone. “So, was this you?”

 

Kolivan flushed, and looked away. “…maybe.”  

 

“Well… for what it’s worth, you seem alright.” Keith stood, and waved one last time at Antok. “I’ll give this back to Lance so he can answer you. I’m sure I’ll see you later.”

 

Antok grinned as he waved at Keith; his grin turned dopey as he watched him go. “Yeah! I - I’ll see you soon!”

 

Kolivan chuckled as he watched his friend continued to slowly wave at Keith’s retreating back. “So, when’s  _ your  _ next date?”

 

“Next week.” Antok shot Kolivan a look. “When’s yours?”

 

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Soon, I hope.” Kolivan took the last sip out of his water bottle as he stood up. “You ready to get going --” Kolivan was interrupted as his phone chimed. He fished it out of his pocket and smiled down at it as he read the short message from Lance - with a winking emoji at the end.  _ ‘How does two sound?’  _

 

He shot a quick text back to Lance -  _ ‘It sounds perfect. Looking forward to it.’ _

 

Kolivan grinned as he pocketed his phone again, and grabbed his keys from his other pocket. “Looks like I’ve got a date tomorrow afternoon…”

 

“What?!” Antok followed after Kolivan as they made their way through the small crowd. “How’d you get another date so soon?”

 

“Lucky, I guess. Now come on, I’m tired.”

 

“Alright, alright. I’m coming, ya old man.”

 

Kolivan turned back towards Antok as he held the door for him; he raised an eyebrow. “Technically, I’m only a few months older than you.”

 

Antok grabbed the door and followed Kolivan out into the parking lot. “Yeah, yeah. At least I don’t act like I’m ninety.”

 

Kolivan sighed, but grinned at his friend as they both got into the car.

  
  


Despite working until nearly two in the morning, Lance ended up at the large fountain in the park almost an hour early. He’d been a little too nervous to sleep properly, something Hunk had teased him for, and he settled for walking his nerves off as he paced around the fountain. After almost ten minutes, he started mumbling to himself, a quiet bit of pep talk.

 

“Okay now, Lance. Just be relaxed, he liked you fine the night before, hell, he even held your hand. He even technically asked you out more than once. Just relax, smile, be normal you and it will all go fine…” He ran a hand over his hair then scowled realizing he’d messed it all up. “You are a mess…. And he likes you anyway...”

 

“Lance! Hey!” Kolivan jogged up to meet him. Slightly out of breath, he smiled at Lance. “Sorry about that -- didn’t mean to keep you waiting. You haven’t been here too long, have you?”

 

He spun a bit, and grinned. “No, no, I’m early. I was… eh… A little nervous and I was worried I’d be late so… better be early, right?”

 

Kolivan chuckled, and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. “Funny thing -- I’ve, uh - Actually been sitting in my car for the past twenty minutes because I didn’t want to be late either, but then I didn’t want to be  _ too  _ early either. So, uh --” He chuckled nervously as he looked around. “It’s, uh - a pretty decent day…” 

 

Lance hadn’t even considered how sad it could look to be too early for a date, but fortunately Kolivan seemed just as nervous, or excited for it as he was. “So… then… did you want to take a walk? I mean, there are food trucks on the other side of the park… we could… walk and eat?”

 

“A walk sounds perfect!” Kolivan reached to grab for Lance’s hand but stopped at the last second. “Oh, uh -- do you…??” He gestured to his outstretched hand. Flustered at his forwardness; “Only - only if you want too… that is…” 

 

Lance was struck speechless by how sweet this big gruff man could be. The hesitant way he asked, was a complete contrast to the stern grouchy way they’d actually met and Lance couldn’t help but melt a little at the gesture. He placed his own hand in Kolivan’s - struck for a moment with how small it looked wrapped in those warm fingers. “Of course. It’s a date right, Big Guy?” He shifted, letting his fingers lace together with Kolivan’s. Wanting to start off with some nice neutral conversation, he promptly made a joke. “I heard all about Antok last night. I feel like I’ve been friends with him for years now. How about you? Do you feel like you know my buddy the Mullet well now?”

 

Kolivan chuckled as he gently squeezed Lance’s hand in his own. “Oh, I heard all about him, alright. How cute, and sweet he is… Antok just kept going on and on about how much he absolutely adored Keith; and how excited he was for their next date. Sounds to me like Antok’s a little lovestruck already.”

 

“Oh we all heard the same. It got so bad Pidge actually was willing to help me play a little prank on him. Since he had my phone all night, he didn’t actually think to get Antok’s number. Instead, I have it. So out of the kindness of our hearts, Pidge and I helpfully put his number in for Keith. Now Antok is forever named in Keith’s phone as Big Tall and Hot. You however, got a heart by your name.”

 

“Oh? A heart?” despite his flushed face, Kolivan smiled down at Lance, and rocked their hands gently back and forth.

 

“Yup.” Lance stated, smile growing a bit as he looked up at Kolivan. “What can I say, I’m a hopeful kind of guy.” He shrugged, then pointed ahead. “There are the trucks, but if you aren’t hungry we can just keep walking. I’m off all day so I’m in no hurry… I mean… um -- unless you are?”

 

“I’m all yours for as long as you’ll have me.” Kolivan’s smile only grew as he watched Lance blush. He leaned down to place a small kiss on his forehead. “How about this - you want to grab something to eat? And we can find a bench or somewhere to sit for awhile. How’s that sound?”

 

Lance flushed a bit more at the soft kiss. He wasn’t used to such sweet things like hand holding. Since he worked most nights, people tended to ask more for other things, not simple dates. “T -” he cleared his throat. “That sounds just about perfect. I’ll get something from the  crêpe  truck and we can share?” 

 

“Sounds great.” He walked with Lance over to the  crêpe  truck. He got his wallet out as Lance ordered, and chuckled at his expression. “I asked you out today, so it’s on me. Besides -” Kolivan winked at him. “Think of this as a payback for those drinks last night.”

 

“O - oh… well.. In that case I accept. I didn’t know if you liked sweet things… so I got one sweet and one not…” Lance stepped closer to collect the food and held out both hands. One had, held a  crêpe with chocolate drizzled over the top and the other was full of what looked like meat and greens. “Take your pick.” 

 

“Why don’t we split them both? And if you really like one then we can always come back to get you some more.”

 

Lance practically beamed at the answer, and with a sly smile stepped just a bit closer and held up the chocolate one to Kolivan. “Here, try this one first. The chocolate ones are always the best.” 

 

Kolivan chuckled as he leaned forward to take a bite. He moaned as he bit into it; “This  _ is  _ amazing, Lance.”

 

Lance pulled the chocolate one back and held out his other hand, as he took his own bite of the treat. “Mmm, I love  crêpe s. They are like… French magic…” He smiled and waved the second one a bit. “Did you… still want to sit down?” Honestly, Lance wasn’t sure if moving to a bench would ruin the odd atmosphere they seemed to have at that moment. He found that he really wanted to lean closer, like he was drawn into Kolivan’s space. 

 

“Sure.” He looked around them. “Ah.” Spotting an empty bench a few yards away, Kolivan led Lance over to it. “How’s this?”

 

“This is nice.” The bench was partially shaded, but a tree that if Lance was with anyone else he would be tempted to climb. The branches were nicely spaced and thick. He shook his head and focused back on Kolivan. “Actually… it’s kind of perfect. So… which one did you want first?”

 

Kolivan smiled as he watched Lance look around. “It’s fine,” he shook his head. “I’ll just take whichever one you don’t want.”

 

Immediately, Lance shook his head. “We’re sharing remember? You don’t get to be that sweet, Big Guy.” He handed over the chocolate one and took a bite of the other. “So I have a question… how mad do you think those two would be, if I took you to lunch tomorrow?”

 

“Mmm…” Kolivan hummed as he chewed. “I don’t know --” he shrugged. “I guess we’ll just have to go on that date to find out.”

 

Lance flushed a bit around his bite. He’d been pretty pleased with the way he’d asked, but he also hadn’t been sure if it was too soon or not. “I mean… if you have to work or something, that’s fine too…”

 

“Nope, I’m off tomorrow too. So… have any place special that you’d like to go to?”

 

Lance’s smile this time was softer. “Yeah… actually. I told you before my friend Hunk worked at a restaurant. He’s the chef, and I can’t think of anyone that I’d trust more with feeding a date than Hunk.” He slouched a bit. “Kinda… like insurance to make sure nothing goes wrong… you know?” 

 

“That sounds great, Lance. What time would you like me to pick you up?”

 

Lance switched the  crêpe he’d been eating with the one Kolivan had, before lacing their fingers  together again. “Well… I have some things to do in the morning, so.. Maybe eleven thirty? Would that work?” He paused then frowned up at Kolivan. “But, don’t think just because you’re driving that means I’ll let you pay. I asked you this time.”

 

Kolivan smiled as he watched Lance bite into his crêpe; he chuckled as he rambled about his plans before their date. “Okay, okay - if you insist. Oh! I guess I’m going to need your address if I’m going to pick you up.”

 

“Aren’t you a sneaky one. Getting my address after just one date.” He grinned, and pulled out his phone, sending a quick text, before tucking the phone away again. “So.. we walked and ate… what should we do now?” 

 

Kolivan laughed as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He looked around at the thinning crowd around them. “Well… we could always watch a movie? Remember, I’ve got Netflix.” 

 

Lance raised an eyebrow, a sly grin growing on his face. “Oh? So let me think… that would mean.. A car ride to your place.. Most likely, some snacks of a sort, yeah? Are we going for the full deal, or… just a movie, Big Guy?” He paused, studying Kolivan. “I mean, it’s a warm day so blankets would be out, which  _ could _ mean that we sit there all awkward and watch something fun… but movies are always better with cuddling in my opinion, and those are always best with blankets….” 

 

He glanced down and played with their joined hands. “Just… thinking… maybe, we should both just come out and say it…. So I could go first?”

 

Kolivan smiled as he squeezed Lance’s hand. “Yeah? Go ahead.”

 

“Well… Okay so I know we just met and that I’m probably really reading into things, but. Shit I like you. I mean I thought you were attractive at the club, but after we talked I was so pissed at not giving you my number and believe me, I hate to owe Keith anything, but damn if it wasn’t for him I’d never get to be all cute and shit, walking around the park, sharing food with you, and thinking about going back to your place for… possible cuddles is killing me… and -- I will stop now.”

 

“Please, don’t stop.” He chuckled. “I was actually worried that I had been moving things too fast already… I know that we only met yesterday but, I’ve never felt this way about someone like this.” Kolivan looked down at their joined hands and ran his fingers across the back of Lance’s hand; his thumb moving in small circles across his skin. “I just don’t want to scare you away by coming on too strong… but uh, yeah. I’m definitely not opposed to those possible cuddles…” 

 

Lance started for a long minute, as his brain slowly processed the words, before a wide grin crossed his face. “Well… maybe that just means… that we’re simply meant to be.” He froze then laughed. “I’m such a dork, quoting a movie in the middle of an important conversation. Still sure you want to go and have ‘Netflix and chill’ with me?”

 

“You’re the best kind of dork though.” Kolivan laughed; he stood, gathering their trash in one hand. He reached down with his other hand to gently pull Lance to his feet. “I would be honored if you would ‘Netflix and chill’ with me.”

 

“I think that is the nicest and most polite way anyone has ever propositioned me, and I’ve been propositioned a lot.” He still grinned, tugging on their joined hands a bit. “While you seem nice.. I don’t know how my boyfriend will feel about that…” He poked Kolivan with his free hand. “What do you think, Boyfriend?”

 

“Your boyfriend?! You didn’t say that you had a -- wait… oh.” Kolivan laughed as he leaned down to place another soft kiss on Lance’s forehead. “I think your boyfriend would be alright with that.”

 

“Well, as long as he’s okay with it, then take me home, Big Guy?”

 

“Hmmm… just - one thing, first.” Kolivan leaned in, closing the distance between them. He smirked before he pulled Lance closer and hummed as he caught his lips between his own. Pulling Lance closer, Kolivan tilted his head, deepening the kiss. Pulling back slightly to catch his breath, Kolivan ran his tongue across Lance’s lips - tasting the lingering chocolate from the  crêpe s. 

 

Kolivan pulled back and straightened up. “Alright,  _ now _ we can go.”

 

Lance blinked, then blinked again, and caught Kolivan’s shirt. “If we are not out of this park in five minutes, I will not be responsible for my actions. Move it, Big Guy!”

 

He laughed as Lance tugged him out of the park by the front of his shirt.

**Author's Note:**

> Paloma 
> 
> Rub half of rim of a highball glass with a grapefruit wedge; dip rim of glass in salt.  
> Combine 1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, and 1 teaspoon sugar in glass; stir until sugar is dissolved.  
> Stir in 1/4 cup mezcal or tequila, add ice, and top off with 1/4 cup club soda.
> 
>  
> 
> Campari
> 
> 1 part (1oz, 3cl) Campari  
> 1 part (1oz, 3cl) Red Vermouth  
> Splash of Soda. 
> 
> Make it - Pour the ingredients directly in a old-fashioned glass  
> Fill with ice cubes  
> Add a splash of soda water  
> Garnish with orange slice or lemon peel
> 
>  
> 
> Enjoy, and please drink responsibly guys!


End file.
